Music Educators Say “I Love Rock and Roll!” Or Do They?

At the MENC National Biennial Conference in Milwaukee MENC asked members:

Is there a place in Music Education for Rock and Roll?
 

• “Absolutely. Rock & Roll has a dependable harmony and it usually has a traditional form —verse and chorus. It’s folk music—music that expresses the relationships of the people. It has a great beat and is easy to dance to.”

Joy A. E. Morgen,
Kaiserlautern, Germany

 

• “Absolutely! If your goal is to respectfully and authentically introduce music of all genres to your students – it’s a part of our heritage and should be taught.”

Alison Manion,

Cambridge, MA

• “Yes. The kids now, it’s all they want. Give them something with a nice drumbeat to rock to—and they’ll do it!”

Sondra Patillo,
Farmington Hills, MI
 

• “Absolutely. My specialty is strings. Mark Woods (on the ASTA Nat’l Board) is doing a great service for our kids. It gives the students another choice—and isn’t that what teachers are supposed to do? I love that visionary teachers are starting rock string ensembles.”

Marilyn Seelman,
Atlanta, GA

—Becky Spray , May 29, 2008, © MENC:The National Association for Music Education (www.menc.org)